My Experience by Mark Malyon

Monthly Archives: August 2014

I’m starting week 20 today, and in the words of my Physio I am doing very well. Mind you I have to question whether Hayley, that’s my Physio is all the ticket? She got on a coach, went all the way to Huddersfield to watch Bournemouth’s first game of the season.

Mind you they won 4 nil so maybe she got lucky, there is no worse feeling than going to an away game and coming back 260 miles with that losing feeling.

Mind you my boys had a decent result at the weekend, 1 all, away to a newly promoted side, not all that bad. To my quadder brothers in the states, Bournemouth play, along with my boys (Charlton Athletic) in the second tier of English football or rather soccer to you guys.

Your really going to have to get used to calling it football not soccer, if you want to play a world sport. And by the way you are getting better. Your football (which I love by the way, come on the Bournemouth Bobcat) is not football.

Football is when you kick the ball with your feet. Which only happens in American Football at kick off, punting, extra after, and field goal; so calling it football is a bit rich. I have to say I am looking forward immensely to the Raiders Dolphins game on 28 September at Wembley which I have tickets for.

Just hope I can get into the seat….. I find it amazing how Americans take English childrens games and turn them into sports; netball and rounders spring to mind. The day is coming when the London Monarchs will play in either the NFC/AFC East, and I can not wait to take some scalps.

Anyway less of the digression.

The exercises are paying dividends I seem to be getting stronger day on day. Found a pool at a local hotel with steps and a rail in to the water so, I am swimming most days. Its really cheap 20 quid a month and no membership, there’s a hot tub, steam room, sauna no Swedes sadly and gym with all the latest machines; a real find. I am walking 3 to 4 miles a day with out my crutches (I take them with me just in case). Bournemouth is very hilly so its quite a feat.

Heard from the lawyers last week, apparently I need more pictures of the spot I fell as there is a minium depth of 2.5cm anything below that is deemed by the law to be not dangerous. So I’m going to drive up there on Thursday and take photos with measurements. Will post next week.

Not heard a dicky bird from work. Sent in new fit note saying I can drive now, but the silence is deafening. I feel mentally ready to go back if not totally physically.

So that’s it for this post, its going to be a week of swimming and walking, Cross Trainer and my stair exercises. Oh and weight loss I have got rid 6lbs so far, so my target is 1lb a week. Should be easy I don’t think……

I am now in week 18 of my injury recovery. And I have to say I am bored. But the recovery is going well, my exercise program is on track. I have now been able to start to put some resistance on my cross-trainer, so I must be making progress. I discovered I was doing the squats all wrong, thought they were too easy. I am having to do them against a wall to keep my back straight, the difference is dynamic. The pull on the knee and the quad; ouch.

But all the other exercises are going well. Today for the first time I walked outside without the aid of my crutches. I have not needed them inside for some time now, but have a little more confidence to walk outside without them. But of course then there are the hills, and the proprioception.

Had an amended fit note so hopefully should be back at work soon. I think I have got to the point where I am 50% back, so can apart from sit on my toilet; most day to day stuff is ok. The next 50% I think is going to take time? And as they say, time will tell!

By the time I have posted next I should be driving again, so I am feeling extremely positive about my injury and life. By the 15 August I have to get myself to London, have lunch at The Opera Terrace in Covent Garden and then get myself into theatre seat, now that might be tricky.

The past few weeks I have been making new Quadder friends, so a shout out to Don Williams and Mike Maclellan. It seems Don is 18 months a Quadder, and Mike had his event on 19th June this year. It makes writing this blog worthwhile as other Quadders seem to like it. Once a Quadder always a Quadder it seems.

I am beginning to think we should have a Quadder Convention, Las Vagas springs to mind. Watch this space.